neck pain with back pain

Well I know this is a really old question, but read it and know why the doctor told you that....with osteoarthritis, when the nerves in the spine send signals to the brain that theres damage, the brain then sends signals to the surrounding muscles to protect it, which will cause the muscles to tighten up. And after time, with the signals constantly being sent back and forth, the muscles will eventually become damaged in that area. And the way the muscles in the back work, it's as though there are three layers, one for the upper, one for middle and one for lower. Say the damage is in the middle, those muscles are goin to tighten up to protect it, in the mean time, the upper and lower muscles are going to overcompensate for the middle, basically picking up the slack for what the mid muscles would usually do.. Hense, those muscles will become damaged over time due to overcompensation for a period of time.